With no foreseeable end in sight, “Peak TV” has been churning out an endless array of new shows on disparate platforms too numerous to count, let alone keep track of. The summer 2018 television season was proof enough, considering just how many new and returning shows it bombarded viewers with, and the upcoming fall season is no different. To help viewers navigate the pack fall TV schedule 2018, here’s a quick and handy guide to the top 10 shows everyone should check out.
Fall TV schedule 2018: 10 must-see series this season
American Vandal (Sept. 14)
If you haven’t watched the first season of Netflix’s breakout hit American Vandal, you should probably do so now. Have you done it yet? You have? Well that’s good, because the second season of co-creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault’s true crime satire masterpiece is set to debut in a few weeks’ time. Instead of investigating another act of phallic vandalism, however, series leads Peter (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam (Griffin Gluck) now find themselves trying to determine the true identity of the “Turd Burglar,” a poop-obsessed prankster.
The Good Cop (Sept. 21)
Picture this: actor Tony Danza and singer Josh Groban walk into a bar, but they’re actually a father and son cop duo and they’re both named Tony. (Tony Sr. and Tony Jr., to be precise.) This is the basic premise of Netflix’s The Good Cop, an Odd Couple-esque police procedural that pits Danza’s rule-breaking veteran against Groban’s straight-laced officer of the law. Overseen by Monk creator Andy Breckman and co-starring Monica Barbaro, Isiah Whitlock, Jr and Bill Kottkamp, The Good Cop sounds utterly ridiculous, which is exactly why you should watch it.
Manifest (Sept. 24)
This week, NBC released a “sneak peak” of its upcoming drama Manifest on YouTube. Montego Air Flight 828 lands safely with all of its crew and passengers accounted for, save for the fact that the plane lands five and a half years after it was supposed to. Whether or not releasing the entire first act of a new pilot for free online is a good sign is beside the point, however, as the latest from executive producer Robert Zemeckis promises to ingratiate itself to fans of similar shows like Lost, The 4400 and the short-lived FlashForward.
The Good Place (Sept. 27)
For two seasons The Good Place, the latest from television creator extraordinaire Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), has tickled audiences’ funny bones countless times. Then again, it turns out Schur and company’s decision to throw Kristen Bell, Ted Danson and a wonderful ensemble cast together in a fanciful comedy about the afterlife was a great one. Now that Bell’s Eleanor Shellstrop and the other human characters have apparently been given a chance to return to earth, season three will undoubtedly include even more twists.
The Simpsons (Sept. 30)
Even after all these years, The Simpsons is still a must-see series and worthy of inclusion on your Fall TV schedule 2018. The first episode of creator Matt Groening’s The Simpsons aired December 17, 1989 on Fox. This means that when the show returns in late September, its latest season of animated comedy will be its thirtieth. That means that Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie, along with the rest of Springfield’s seemingly ageless cast of characters, has been entertaining viewers for generations. This also means that many aspects of the series are outdated, like the character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Even so, Groening’s program progresses onward.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Oct. 12)
Rachel Bloom, whose series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has repeatedly won the hearts and minds of critics and audiences like, has been clear from the beginning about The CW program’s fate. “Yes, it is a final season. At least to us it is the final season,” she explained in May. “We don’t want to write anymore seasons.” Considering everything that Rachel and her creative team have thrown at viewers, especially last season, it makes perfect sense that Rebecca Bunch’s wild story will be coming to an end with season four, so make sure it’s apart of your fall TV schedule 2018.
Camping (Oct. 14)
Make sure this HBO comedy is part of your fall TV schedule 2018. After nearly two decades of work in film, actress Jennifer Garner, who got her big break on television with Alias, is returning to the small screen with HBO’s dark comedy Camping. Garner and David Tennant play a husband and wife team that, along with other couples consisting of friends and relatives, is severely tested during a weekend excursion in the great outdoors. Written and executive produced by Girls creator and star Lena Dunham, Camping debuts in mid-October.
The Conners (Oct. 16)
The hugely popular Roseanne revival was swiftly canceled by ABC after its titular star, Roseanne Barr, issued a series of racist tweets. The comedian has since been embraced by conservative circles, while her former cast and crew members have been divided as to whether her firing (and the show’s cancellation) was warranted. Even so, ABC is moving forward with The Conners, a Roseanne-less spinoff series that will follow Dan (John Goodman) and the rest of the family, for better or worse.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Oct. 26)
Throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, the Melissa Joan Hart-starring Sabrina the Teenage Witch cast its spell on ABC’s audiences during the network’s popular T.G.I.F. programming era. Unlike the sitcom, however, Netflix’s upcoming Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes Nell Scovell’s original concept and, with“Riverdale showrunner’s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s touch, turns it into a dark, coming-of-age story that’s more The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby than supernatural slapstick.
House of Cards (11/2)
Last but not least, don’t forget to include this hit series on your fall TV schedule 2018. The sixth and final season of Netflix’s original prestige drama, House of Cards, may be without original star Kevin Spacey, but that doesn’t mean lead Robin Wright and newcomers Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear can’t handle the pressure. The final entry in creator Beau Willimon’s dark political drama, which was based on a British television series of the same name, looks to be just as intriguing as the preceding five seasons, and therefore worth the watch.
